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Love is determined by a strong affection, a warm attachment, by
complete satisfaction, as well as happiness. Love is a key issue found
in society. Everyone seeks love. With true love, comes happiness,
pleasure and a feeling of satisfaction in life. It has many obstacles
that one will have to hurdle. “It is worth every minute. The happiness
and the pain are like exercises for my heart, each time leaving it in
better shape than before”(Heart 1). Love is a gamble, that is taken
knowing that precious hearts may be broken which leaves many hearts
afraid to take the gamble. In the stories, “Soldier’s Home”, and “The
Lady with the Pet Dog”, Dmitry Gurov and Krebs are not willing to take
that gamble. They find themselves trying to live ordinary lives in the
midst of being alienated from society. Love is a gamble, love requires
courage, and in love one will find true happiness.
“Tis better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at
all” (Heart 1). Dmitry Gurov from The Lady With the Pet Dog, and Krebs
from Soldier’s Home, are both very intrigued by love, but both do not
have the same view, as do the eyes of the world. Gurov deals with his
discontent amid the company of his current wife through affairs with
many other women. Through past experiences with untrue love for his
wife he views women as objects, instead of people with emotions. “It
seemed to him that he had been sufficiently tutored by bitter
experience to call them what he pleased, and yet he could not have
lived without the “inferior race” for two days together”(Chekhov 166).
He begins to find himself gambling with true love as he seeks through
his emotions for Anna, his present lover. On the other hand Krebs does not give love
a chance and is not willing to take that gamble. After a late return
from the war he begins to close himself off from the rest of the world
because he discovers that he has been alienated through his own lies.
“That was all a lie. It was all a lie both ways. You did not need a
girl unless you thought about them. He learned that in the
army”(Hemingway 141).
“Love is a fire. But whether it is going to warm your heart or burn
down your house, you can never tell”(Heart 1). Gurov found the courage
to go visit Anna in her hometown not knowing what her reaction would be
like after such a long time apart. His infatuation with Anna ultimately
lead him to separate himself from the rest of the world due to his
every thought and action being focused on her. Gurov found the courage
to take his chances at true love, however Krebs could not face his
fears. “He wanted to live along without consequences. Besides he did
not really need a girl. The army had taught him that” (Hemmingway 141).
Not only has he set himself apart from the world through his lies but
also is now dealing with his separation in the world through the fear
of consequences through out the rest of his life.
“The greatest happiness in life is the conviction that we are
loved” (unknown 1). Gurov found his true happiness with Anna, but did
not know how to react to all these newfound emotions since he had never
found true love in any other woman. Gurov had not found happiness with
his wife, nevertheless he found himself a changed man when he
established his true love for Anna and then knew that he had discovered
happiness. Even though Krebs never discovered a true love for another
woman he did find the love that he felt for his family. He begins to
discover happiness through his family and starts to face the
consequences in his life through his decision to move away to find a
job.
In conclusion, these two stories are a representation of how these
two opposite types of men begin to find happiness and conquer their
alienation from their ordinary lives. Life is not handed to them and
they find themselves having to deal with the consequences of their
actions in the midst of searching for contentment. Gurov deals with his
state of disconnectedness through finding happiness with one woman. On
the other hand Krebs deals with his state by trying to ignore it, but
in the end begins to face his fears. Happiness is found when one finds
true love and has the courage to take that gamble.
Works Cited
Chekov, Anton. “The Lady with the Pet Dog.” The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. 5th edition. Meyer. New York: Bedford, 2000. 178-190.
Heart, S.F. (1997-2000). Love Quotes [online]. Available: http://www.sfheart.com/love.html
Hemmingway, Ernest. “Soldier’s Home.” The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. 5th edition. Meyer. New York: Bedford, 2000. 139-144.
Unknown Author. (2000). Motivational Quotes- Inspirational Quotes for You [online]. Available: http://www.motivational-quotes.com
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